Homosexuality

Homosexuality in the modern American media has been relatively new, becoming more prevalent in the 1980’s. The duel between the negative imagery and positive imagery is evident when one watches or reads a media with a gay character. Since the media is the largest impact on how members of this society focus on homosexuality, one must understand and unmask these individual characters and see the multi-faces that gays are seen as. There is clearly a connection with the way that society places stereotypes on homosexuals and the images they portray in popular media, including movies, television, magazines/literature, the web, and even in politics.

Since homosexuality is such a popular topic in this coming age, released many homosexual characters in hit movies as well movies geared toward a strictly homosexual audience. Each movie chooses a different path to follow in how they portray homosexuals. Most movies, especially comedies geared toward youth, portrays homosexuals as feminine, weak individuals who are usually sidekicks or side characters. Although these characters are not main roles, the way they act and are seen greatly effect how society sees gay individuals. They are placed in these roles to strictly provide humor to a “straight” audience. There are a few examples that best show the most popular images of homosexuality in mainstream films. Damien, the “too gay to function” side character that is one of the first to befriend the new girl in school along with his socially rejected best friend, Janice, in the hit movie Mean Girls (Paramount Pictures 2004). The focus of his character is to gossip and talk negatively about other members of his class as well as “dress up” his all female friends. This image chooses to focus on the side of the “homosexual as a caddy, materialistic �queen.’” His best friend Janice, a dark, independent freethinker, is mocked through out the movie for being a lesbian, although she is not. The reason why she is rejected by the members of her class is because of how one of the main characters, the beautiful and popular alpha “plastic” Regina, spread the rumor that she was a lesbian because she wanted to be close to her as friends growing up. From what can be seen from this plot line, it is evident that Janice is dark and quiet because of everyone rejecting her because of her false homosexuality. The way she is portrayed, all in dark clothing, with dark make up, as well as a sarcastic attitude was made to show that she must be a lesbian because she does not follow the norms of what girls should be like, according to how girls are shown in their high school. It is odd that the obviously gay character, Damien, had only one reference to his true homosexuality, and the character that was not a homosexual but just socially different, was constantly mocked and poked fun at.

As Good as it Gets (Tristar Pictures 1997) portrays the more artistically feminine side of the gay image. Simon, one of the main characters of the movie, is a gay man living by himself with a broken arm and a very tiny, vocally active, dog. He is a painter who is portrayed liking gardening and the more feminine activities. His little dog was placed as an aid in portraying his homosexuality. The fact that he was cast as a painter who has a tiny dog was the only gay imagery that the movie places on him, besides his clothing choice. If the clothes, the dog, and the occupation were removed, his sexuality would be very difficult to uncover. This places the image that gay men like tiny weak animals and performing jobs that take little physical or even mental labor. Another main character, Melvin, is constantly mocking and ridiculing Simon for his choice in lifestyle, with his romantic interest, Carol, defends and sticks up for Simon. Simon is then seen as a weak male, needing a straight female to defend his honor and stick up for him. Both of these movies choose to portray the homosexual characters as an individual that needs a female character, seeming that gay men can not stand alone, that they are seen as “one of the girls.” This portrayal is a false one. A recent study has shown that an estimated fifteen percent of gay men are seen as overly feminine and only five percent of lesbians are seen as overly masculine (Byer 386).

There is one movie that portrays homosexuals in a very different way and still was highly popular. Brokeback Mountain (Alberta Film Entertainment 2005) was a revolutionary movie on the account that it was an award winning film, winning three Oscars, and it was a gay love story. The movie was about two “cowboys” in the Midwest that fell in love with each other and their struggles and dilemmas as closeted “images of masculinity.” The odd thing about this movie about homosexuals is that it was not marketed toward homosexuals. This movie was marketed as